Addendum: this post was supposed to have published yesterday but for whatever reason failed.
Art News:
First my sad news: After sixteen years of existence of the riverviews co op, and gallery space of over 2500 sq feet has officially dissolved. We met earlier this week to make it official with maintenance decisions. I joined the org last year, knowing full well of its struggles. But the fact is, that the current status and support level was not enough to be successful. The membership declined, as members began looking for other opportunities, or retirement. And we did not attempt a restructuring or reinvention.
Artist Co-Op members must work consistently, evolve and be flexible to ideas and changing the vision for success. What doesn’t work, does not work. That does not mean art is irrelevant or cannot triumph, just that past formulas failed. There are usually reasons for this. Is it the artist’s fault? Poor management? Community support?
Maybe, it is all of the above.
The loss of an almost twenty year old community staple is frankly, sad and disheartening. It is a lost opportunity for budding artists, one less local artistic, cultural exposure opportunity for us all-artist and patron, and one less tourist, economic, cultural venue opportunity that we can’t afford to lose.
How many other communities would love to have accessibility to 2500 sq feet of gallery space for local artists in their own hometown…..I can think of many.
Whether directly or indirectly, we will ALL experience reverberations of this loss.
Shame on us.
On The Easel:
Valerie Dowdy Art 2020
30x40x2 in canvas
Until Next time,
Peace, Valerie
Art Quote:
Art is meant to disturb, science reassures.
Georges Braque
That is so sad for all artist, I’m so sorry Valerie 😪
It is, thank you for understanding how I feel about it.